Serbia’s Vucic, together with Slovakia’s Fico post heartfelt footage from Moscow

(MENAFN) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic shared a heartfelt video of his meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico near the Kremlin during the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow. The two leaders faced significant travel challenges due to airspace bans imposed by several EU countries, but they both made it to the event.

Vucic posted the video on Instagram, captioning it, “Brotherly meeting with the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, tonight in Moscow. Serbs and Slovaks brothers forever!” The clip shows the two leaders shaking hands and greeting each other warmly.

EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, had previously warned EU leaders and candidate countries not to attend the Russian event, urging them instead to visit Kyiv. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos also told Vucic that attending the Moscow ceremony could harm Serbia’s prospects of joining the EU.

Due to airspace restrictions, Vucic’s plane was forced to reroute through Bulgaria, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, after Latvia and Lithuania denied access. Similarly, Slovakia’s Fico had difficulty reaching Moscow as Estonia denied access to his plane, despite a standing permit for government flights. Estonia’s Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, criticized the event as Russian “propaganda.”

Nevertheless, both Vucic and Fico attended the Moscow commemoration, joining over two dozen world leaders, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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